Jack Clark to Receive Glenn Seaborg Award

Jack Clark to Receive Glenn Seaborg Award

Photo: Cal Athletics

Cal Athletics Release: August 31, 2016

BERKELEY – Jack Clark, Cal’s iconic rugby coach who has guided the Golden Bears to 27 national collegiate championships, has been selected as the 22nd recipient of the Glenn T. Seaborg Award. The official presentation will take place during a ceremony when Cal hosts Utah on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium.

The honor, named after the former University of California chancellor and 1951 Nobel Prize-winning scientist, is presented annually to a former Cal football player for his career accomplishments who represents the honored Cal principles and traditions of excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and attitude.

“The Seaborg Award is meant to honor and acknowledge a former Cal football player who has distinguished himself at the highest level through his career achievements,” Seaborg Award committee chair Jack Hart said. “Jack certainly stands out, and Dr. Seaborg would be very proud.”

As head coach of Cal’s esteemed rugby program since 1984, Clark has directed the Bears to 27 national collegiate championships – 23 in 15s and four in 7s. He has produced an all-time record of 628-80-5 in 15s and 109-14 in 7s. After taking its fourth straight CRC 7s national title and earning the program’s 31st overall with 15-a-side play in the spring, Cal became the first team to win national collegiate championships in 7s and 15s during the same year.

“I am incredibly humbled to be recognized with the Seaborg Award,” said Clark, who started at offensive tackle for the Bears for two seasons in 1976 and ’77. “The previous honorees are renowned Cal football figures and important heroes of mine. For me to somehow be mentioned in their class seems surreal. Dr. Seaborg is and always will be our greatest example of distinction. Like so many, I’ve had a personal experience with Dr. Seaborg. He was amazingly generous of spirit to make this particular rugby coach comfortable in his presence. I’ve now had a long and wonderful career in intercollegiate athletics. However, this award leaves me with a sense of gratitude I didn’t think possible.”

Under Clark’s direction, a total of 131 Bears have earned All-America honors, with 47 players making 689 appearances with the U.S. National 15s team and five players with “Varsity Blues” at Oxford University. He has an all-time combined coaching record of 35-1 vs. U.S. military academics. From 1990-96, Clark’s Bears had a winning streak of 98 consecutive games, and they won 70 in a row vs. domestic competition from 1997-2003.

Clark served as head coach of U.S. National Team 1993-99, earning most international victories ever (16) by a U.S. national team coach. He was inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014 and will be enshrined in the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 4 of this year.

Established in 1995, the Seaborg Award has been presented to 21 times previously. Past winners are: